Safety bottle closure



April 5 G. RHODES 2, ,9

SAFETY BOTTLE CLOSURE Filed'Oct; 22, 1956 4 all" I amaze 71. 24/0055 INVEN TOR.

United States Patent 2 381,234 SAFETY "BOTTLE GLOSURE G lha L- Rh dsazCast e s! Calif- Application Qetober 22, 1956, Serial No. 617,534 9:Z-lfirr99 This invention relates to the closures of bottles,particularly those employed as containers for toxic or noxioussubstances. i

An object of the invention is to provide a closure in which a certainproceduremust be employed to effect the removal of the closure, that isto say, a procedure that is not evident to a child who might otherwiseobtain access to a medicine that could be harmful to him if he swalloweda potion from its contents.

Another object of the invention is to provide a closure or bottlestopper of simple and inexpensive construction that operatesin such away that considerable pressure must be applied to opposite sides of theclosure in order to enable it to be removed from the bottle.

In other words, the act of opening the bottle requires the applicationof a comprehensive force to the exterior of the closure, that is beyondthe capacity of an infant or child of such an age that he might betempted to amuse himself opening bottles with harmful contents to whichhe has access.

Further objects of the invention will be evident from a careful readingof the present specification and a study of the accompanying drawing.

Another object of'the invention is to provide an inner cap, and an outercompressible cap with means to establish a positive driving connectionbetween the outer and inner caps operatable by employing a compressiveforce to effect the removal of theinn'er cap.

The invention consists in the novel parts, and eombinations of parts tobe described herein, all of which contribute to produce a novel andeffective safety bottle closure.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the followingspecification, while the broad scope of the invention is'pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a portion of a bottle neckillustrating a 'cap embodying my invention applied to the same. As willbe noted, the right side of this view shows the eap and the wall of thebottle neck in section. In this embodiment of the invention aninterlocking connection is effected between the members at theirperiphenes.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the bottle cap shown in Fig.- ure 1'.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of the wall of theouter member at the location of its interlocking connection to the innermember. This view is a vertical section which is upon a larger scalethan Figure l to show the profile section of an interlocking annular ribthat is carried on this part.

Figure 4 is a view illustrating another embodiment of the invention inwhich the interlocking connection is made on transverse heads near theaxis of the cap assembly. This view shows the outer member in section,and illustrates the use of means for effecting a positive connection forimparting the movement to the inner member to effect its removal.

Pate pr- 1 .9

Figure 5 is a p ew .q this embod men of he o u e m l a shown i f gu e 4u e 6 a V ew s m a t Figure 4 bu l us a ing a reversal of he o a on ofir erls h h pa t f th i terlocking q c onb w e t e n e an ou e membersIn practicing h in nt n as embodied n th const u i shown n is s t e 99mm a semb in udes an inner cap 1 of inverted cup form having a dis;formhead 2 and a circumferential wall or amend).

T inner face r h ap n ha a. s i shhnc tib e 90. nection 9 t neck 4 ofthe b t that quires ro t n of the inner cap relative to the neck inorder to disconneet it. In the' present instance this connection is asuitable thread connection such as shown at 5 Encompassing theperipheral face of the inner cap an annulus or ring 6 is provided, theinner diameter of which is large enough to enable it to be telescopedover the inner cap. The inner diameter of the ring'6 should be veryslightly larger than the outer vdiameter of the apron wall 7 of theinner member.

On the outer face of the apron wall 7 I prefer to form a circumferentialgroove 8 which is continuous all around the periphery of the innermember. This groove may be of a width ,of of an inch'in a cap assemblyor a bottle having an inner, closure member of approximately thediameter shown in Figure ;l, though the width of this groove isunimportant.

The depth of the groove 8 may be very slight. It could be as small as.004 of an inch if the annulus 6, or outer member fits very closely atits inner diameter over the outer diameter of the inner member.

In reading Figure 1 it should 'be understood that the outer ring 6 willbe preferably telescoped down into place from above, and for this reasona projection to establish this swivel connection should have its bottomside or lower edge relieved by forming an inclined surface or shoulderthere; this facilitates the projection forcing its way between the innerface of the ring and the outer face of the apron wall 7.

In the present instance, as indicated in Figure 3, I prefer to employ arib 9 integral with the ring 6, and of sufficient thickness to providean abrnpt'shoulder 10 at its upper edge; and its lower edge is formedwith a slight bevel or fillet 11.

This outer member or ring 6 is preferably composed of compressiblematerial such as a suitable plastic such as thermoplastic composition,though a high impact styrene also seems advantageous as a compositionfor thispart.

The materials named will deform when pressed in on opposite sides, asindicated by the arrows shown in Fignre 1,'with sufficient force todevelop friction between the outer face of the outer member or ring 6and the inner face of the apron wall 7 to enable the rotation after thefrictional contact of the outer ring is established to impart rotarymovement to the inner member 1 to rotate it, and disconnect it from theneck of the bottle.

In the embodiment of this invention illustrated in Figure 6, an outerring 6 1 is employed which telescopes neatly over, and closely to, theinner member Ia, but in this case the connection between the two membersis located at or on the axis of the cap assembly. In other words, inthis case I prefer to provide a member 6a with an integral disc ortransverse head 12 that seats down onto a similar transverse head 13that is integral with an apron wall similar to the wall 7 shown inFigure 1.

In order to effect an interlocking connection between these two members6a and In, I provide an integral button comprising a cylindrical neck 14with a slightly enlarged tip 15 at its lower end. This tip hasan abruptshoulder 16 at its upper end and a rounded shoulder 17 at its lower end.When these parts are telescoped together, the rounded shoulder 17 passesdown through a cylindrical portion 18 of a socket that passes downthrough the transverse head 13; and in order to receive the enlarged tip15 the socket has an undercut groove 19 at its lower end into which thetip 15 expands when the outer member 1a is completely seated.

In this embodiment of the invention it is preferable to apply thecompressive forces near the lower edge or end of the outer member 6a. Inthis case, as in the embodiment shown in Figure 1, friction is reliedupon to develop the force that can be imparted to the inner member todisengage it from the bottle for which it operates as a closure.

In Figure 4 I illustrate another embodiment of the invention in whichimparting of the rotary movement, instead of relying upon developing africtional force between the two members composing the closure assembly,I may provide the inner face of the apron wall 20 with one, or aplurality of small longitudinally extending ribs or lugs 21 as shown.

In a zone at the same level, and opposite these lugs 21, on the outerface of the apron wall 22 of the inner member, I provide one, or aplurality of small lugs 23. With this construction, it will be evidentthat by exerting pressure at two diametrically opposite points on theouter wall 20, and then rotating the outer member 24 of the assembly,some one of the lugs 23 will lie in the path of one of the lugs 21, andthe two engaged lugs will cooperate to enable a torque force to beimparted to the inner member of the closure.

Such a rotary connection 25 has the same location as shown in Figure 6,but the button is on the inner member at 25 and the socket is on thetransverse head of the outer member. This connection has the samecharacteristics as that illustrated in Figure 6.

It will be evident that when the wall of the outer member of theassembly is pressed forcibly inward at diametrically opposite points inany one of the forms of the invention illustrated, contact can be madewith the inner member, either frictionally, or by engagement of thelugs, or ribs, the bottle closure can be opened. But such a force couldnot be exerted by a child, and hence, bottles of this character would besafe even if they were accessible to children.

Many other embodiments of this invention may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit of this invention.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent: I

1. In a safety bottle closure, the combination of an inner cap memberhaving an apron wall surrounding the bottle neck, thread means betweenthe inner member and the bottle neck for securing the inner cap as aclosure to the bottle neck; an outer member with a skirt wall telescopedover the apron wall of the inner member, said skirt-wall lying closelyto the outer face of the apron wall of the inner member, said membershaving co-ordinated means thereon interlocking the same together so asto permit their relative rotation with respect to each other, andpreventing their relative longitudinal movement with respect to eachother, the skirt wall of said outer memberbeing composed of a materialcapable of being deformed by compression in an adults hands to press theskirt wall against the apron wall of the inner member with sufiicientforce to contact the apron wall and to enable rotation of thevouter,skirt wall to be transmitted to the inner cap member, to unscrew theinner cap member on the thread means to remove the inner cap member fromthe bottle neck.

2. A safety closure for a bottle neck according to claim 1, in which theinterlocking connection between the outer member and the inner memberincludes a circumferential groove on one. of the members and a partprojecting into said groove from the other member per- 4 mittingrelative rotation of said members and preventing the disconnection ofsaid members from each other.

3. A safety closure for a bottle neck, according to claim 1, in whichfriction developed upon the surface of the said apron wall impartsmovement to the inner member to enable the disconnection of the innermember from the bottle neck to be effected.

4. In a safety bottle closure, the combination of an inner cap memberhaving an apron wall, surrounding the bottle neck, thread means betweenthe inner memher and the bottle neck for securing the inner cap as aclosure to the bottle neck; an outer member with a skirt wall telescopedover the apron wall of the inner member, said skirt-wall lying closelyto the outer face of the apron wall of the inner member, said membershaving coordinated means thereon interlocking the same' together so asto permit their relative rotation with respect to each other, andpreventing their relative longitudinal movement with respect to eachother, the skirt wall of said outer member being composed of a materialcapable of being deformed by compression in an adults hands to press theskirt wall toward the apron wall of the inner member with sufiicientforce to contact the apron wall and to enable rotation of the outer,skirt wall to be transmitted to the inner cap member, to unscrew theinner cap member on the thread means to remove the inner cap member fromthe bottle member, the material of said skirt wall being sufficientlyresistant to prevent pressure in a childs hands from deforming the skirtwall toward the apron wall sufiiciently to transmit a rotation to theinner cap member suflicient to unscrew the inner cap member.

5. A safety-bottle closure means according to claim 4 in which the saidmeans for interlocking the outer and inner member to establish andpermit said relative rotation, includes a circumferential groove on oneof the members, and a part on the other member projecting into the saidgroove from the other member.

6. A safety bottle closure means, according to claim 4, in which thefriction developed by the pressure between the contacting faces of theouter member and the inner member is suflicient to enable the outermember to transmit the rotary movement to the inner member to rotate theclosure.

7. A safety closure for a bottle according to claim 4, in which the saidinner member has a circumferential groove disposed about its axis, andthe outer member has an inwardly projecting rib lying in said groove tointerlock the inner and outer members together.

8. A safety bottle closure according to claim 4, in which theinterlocking connection includes a button with an enlarged tip locatedon the axis of one of the said members, the other member having anundercut socket opening also located on the saidaxis to receive saidbutton when the two members are telescoped together, and the button ispressed into the opening sufficiently to lodge the enlarged tip in saidundercut groove.

9. A safety bottle closure according to claim 4, in which the adjacentfaces of the apron wall and skirt wall of said members have projectingmeans carried respectively by said faces, and are located in contiguouszones so that when the wall of the outer member is forcibly compressedthe projecting means on that wall can contact with the projecting meanson the wall of the inner member lying in its path to enable torqueapplied to the outer member to be transmitted to the inner member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,359,639 Hanahan Oct. 3, 1944 2,710,701 Hale June 14, 1955 2,717,708Martinez Sept. 13, 1955

